Welcome guest blogger Monika Wright.

Here's a stash-busting project for you...and hopefully you like the Smash style mini books because that's our inspiration for today. Hi, I'm Monika Wright and documenting our life through mini books is my most favorite way to tell our stories.

So, go now and pull out some favorite papers you've been hoarding, some scraps, and a sheet of those journaling spots that come 12 to a sheet that so many companies have begun featuring. For the title of my mini book, I used one of those journaling spots and slipped it through a slit I cut in my die cut shape and added letter stickers spelling our last name.

I created this mini book as a 14th Anniversary gift for my husband a couple weeks ago. Most of the pages were filled with photos and journaling, but I left a few blank to add in what we did on our all-day Anniversary date together. I love that I was able to capture him reading the mini book AND his wedding ring is the focus!

I started with a sheet of textured cardstock for my cover and from there I just started trimming and layering page after page. I like the look of different sized pages and textures peeking out from beneath each page. Stickers, paper clips, journaling spots and machine stitching all play a role in making your DIY Smash book unique. To bind my album, I used my Mom's vintage 70's era Singer sewing machine. Lately, this machine has stitched paper more than it has fabric!

See the "Let The Fun Begin" image? I sewed around three edges to make a little pocket. And the photo on the bottom right shows another little pocket I made by folding over a longer piece of cardstock, punching a partial circle in the top and sewing around three edges again.

DESIGN TIP | Be sure to stitch on each of your pages before assembling and binding the album. It's possible to stitch on the pages, but definitely more difficult if you don't do the stitching step first.

The first photo shows the back side of the pocket I stitched. The bottom row is one piece of cardstock that's been border punched and folded. I added in a private note here...top secret stuff!

I'll be sharing an update of this album Monday, June 25, 2012 on my blog, so stop in for a visit to see how I embellished the pages and added in bits of our day together. I also have a fun assortment of mini books available in my Etsy shop, I Love It All  if making your own just isn't your thing. I'll leave you with a photo one of our children took of us {we have so few photos of just us} on our vacation to the Beach last year that's already in the album, but without my journaling. You can also see the machine stitched binding holding the mini book together.